Josie Aiello
Birth nameJosie Aiello
BornChicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Years active1984–present
Member ofChicago Catz
Websitejosieaiello.com

Josie Aiello is an American singer-songwriter originally from Chicago, Illinois. Her albums include Unkunvenshunal Girl, Where I Am, and Ashes to Beauty. She is known for her pop vocals on Music & Songs from Starlight Express, including the duet "Only You" with Peter Hewlett.[1] She has recorded background vocals for numerous film soundtracks including Dinosaur, The Thing You Do, and The Guardian, and for musical artists such as Kenny Loggins, Cheryl Cole, Jennifer Lopez, and Ciara.

Early life and education

Aiello got her start as a performer singing at her family's Sicilian restaurant, Cas and Lou's, in the north side of Chicago, where she worked from the age of nine.[2][3] In 1978, she was featured in the Chicago Tribune, which described her as a "polished entertainer" at the age of twelve: "Josie's powerful singing voice – à la Barbra Streisand, her idol – is perfectly on key, filled with emotion and depth."[3] In 1979, she starred as Baby June in a Northwestern University production of Gypsy.[4] She graduated from The Chicago Academy for the Arts in 1984,[5][6] with honors from the arts department,[7] and attended DePaul University.[8]

Career

After moving to Los Angeles, California, she did session work, as well as voice-overs for radio station identification spots,[2] and eventually began writing songs and singing background vocals.[9] In 1987, Aiello recorded five songs for the MCA Records release of the Andrew Lloyd Webber original cast recording album Music & Songs from Starlight Express,[5] including "Only You" with Peter Hewlett.[10] She also recorded vocals for the soundtrack of the Francis Ford Coppola film Dear Me and a duet with Plácido Domingo.[5] Other highlights included recording vocals for Kenny Loggins, and soundtracks for movies including South Park, The Out-of-Towners, To the Max, Dinosaur, The Thing You Do, and The Guardian.[2][9]

In 2000, Quincy Jones signed her to his record label Qwest, a partnership with Warner Brothers Records, which released her debut album, Unkunvenshunal Girl,[11] her unique take on contemporary dance-pop.[9] The Qwest label shut down soon afterwards and Aiello had limited success despite touring with bands including 98 Degrees and Hootie & the Blowfish.[9] In 2006, the Lady J label released her second album, Where I Am,[2] featuring R&B-influences.[9] Aiello resumed collaborative projects, and recorded mainly background vocals with artists including R. Kelly, Cheryl Cole, Jennifer Lopez, and Ciara.[9] In 2015, her current record label, Breath of Life, released the single "Elevate" from her third album, Ashes to Beauty.[8]

Critical reception

Qwest positioned Aiello as "a nice fit between Tori Amos and Alanis Morissette, with the soul of Chaka Khan".[12] Her debut album, Unkunvenshunal Girl, was noted for its "too cute title",[11] and received mixed reviews. Noting that her influences included Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, and Janis Joplin, the Los Angeles Times said, "Aiello has a Richter scale voice that should speak volumes",[7] while The Daily Herald in Arlington Heights, Illinois, called her "a pop princess in the vein of Alanis Morissette".[11] Meanwhile, The Morning Call in Allentown, Pennsylvania, said that "Aiello's mix of Oprah-esque positive reinforcement...and eager-to-please pop pandering has a familiar, bland taste, dare I say, as 'konvenshunal' as it gets."[13] Unrated Magazine said that her second album, Where I Am, had the intensity of her first album, but "chills out vocals with music and incorporates neo-soul with hip-hop, Latin and world beat rhythms".[2] Acknowledging that Where I Am was "more of a group project that one person's vision", Unrated stated, "Make no mistake, it's all Josie, but she is more like the conductor in this train ride."[2]

Discography

Albums

  • 2000 – Unkunvenshunal Girl
  • 2006 – Where I Am
  • 2015 – Ashes to Beauty

Selected album appearances

Selected song appearances

  • "AC/DC" (Andrew Lloyd Webber)
  • "Alright"
  • "Better with U"
  • "Can This Be Love"
  • "Dear You"
  • "Drastic Measures"
  • "Elevate"
  • "Even If"
  • "Everybody's Breakin'"
  • "Extreeem"
  • "Free"
  • "Get Sommo"
  • "Having a Bad Day"
  • "Heavy Heart"
  • "Inner Logic"
  • "Into You"
  • "Isn't It Romantic"
  • "Let It Rain"
  • "Let the Good Life (Lead to So Much Love)"
  • "Little Boy Sweet"
  • "Lotta Locomotion" (Andrew Lloyd Webber)
  • "Love Yourself"
  • "Make Up My Heart" (Andrew Lloyd Webber)
  • "My Prayer"
  • "My Way"
  • "Myself"
  • "Need to Be Lonely"
  • "Only You" (Andrew Lloyd Webber)
  • "Puerto Rican Boy"
  • "Ready or Not"
  • "Rebel Music"
  • "Stop Lovin You"
  • "Strong Enough"
  • "The Call"
  • "Till I Loved You"
  • "Unkunvenshunal Girl"
  • "Venom"
  • "War"
  • "Where I Am"
  • "You Can Hear Me Now"

Song covers by other artists

"Make Up My Heart"

Filmography

Year Title Notes
1984 Body Rock Vocals / singing
1985 Seven Minutes in Heaven Vocals / singing
1996 That Thing You Do! Vocalist
1999 The Out-of-Towners Vocals / singing
2000 To the Max Vocalist
2006 The Guardian Singer – Chicago Catz

References

  1. ↑ Hischak, Thomas S. (1995). The American Musical Theatre Song Encyclopedia. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 268. ISBN 0313294070.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 King, Jackie Lee (December 13, 2006). "Back on the scene with Josie Aiello". Unrated Magazine. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  3. 1 2 KIeiman, Carol (November 24, 1978). "Josie Aiello gives diners a side order of Streisand". Chicago Tribune. p. 9 (Section 6). Retrieved October 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Kleiman, Carol (November 24, 1978). "Big little voice of Josie Aiello (continued)". Chicago Tribune. p. 10 (Section 6). Retrieved October 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 3 Lauerman, Connie (March 12, 1989). "Class acts At the Chicago Academy for the Arts, the fast track to fame is the name of the game". Chicago Tribune. ProQuest 282710491. Retrieved October 27, 2022 – via ProQuest.
  6. ↑ Lavin, Cheryl (March 22, 1998). "Hollywood on the Lake". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  7. 1 2 Locey, Bill (September 15, 2000). "Pop Scene: Shock Icon". Los Angeles Times. p. B6. Retrieved October 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 "Breath of Life Records". Breath of Life Records.com. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Demalon, Tom. "Josie Aiello: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  10. ↑ Pollack, Bruce, ed. (1988). Popular Music: An Annotated Index of American Popular Songs. Vol. 12 (1987 ed.). Detroit: Gale Research Co. p. 93. ISBN 9780810318106.
  11. 1 2 3 "Two female vocalists, one Americana theme comes to FitzGerald's". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. October 27, 2000. Retrieved October 26, 2022 – via Gale OneFile.
  12. ↑ Mitchell, Gail (November 6, 1999). "VP/GM Larry Davis Sets rights on Making Qwest A Major Label". Billboard magazine. Vol. 111, no. 45. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  13. ↑ "JOSIE: UNKUNVENSHUNAL GIRL". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. December 16, 2000. Retrieved October 26, 2022 – via Gale OneFile.
  14. ↑ Amazon.com (1992 album)
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